Neon Genesis Evangelion: Interesting Times
by Slaught
Summary: An AU fic. Third Impact was Stopped, and the world was saved. Unfortunately, a secret organisation has plans to change that...
1. Default Chapter

Interesting Times –Chapter One

An Evangelion fanfic by…Slaught

Disclaimer:

Neon Genesis Evangelion© copyright Gainax© 1997…or was is '98? I forget.

All characters from that series are owned by Gainax, ADV, or whoever they belong to, and they are not mine.

San Ayanami (or at least her name) created by the good people at Eyrie Productions.

Adrian Shepherd (or, more accurately, his name) created by the equally good people at Gearbox studios.

Juan Vasquez, John Harrison, Duke, and various other characters created by yours truly.

The title was inspired from a Terry Pratchett book of the same name, but otherwise has nothing to do with it.

Author's notes:

San Ayanami is a character from EPU's seminal Neon Exodus Evangelion© fanfic, which has a sequel coming out in fall 2002. Though, come to think of it, when this fic is finished and posted, Apotheosis Now© will probably have been released anyway. Anyway, the San in my fic has little or no resemblance to EPU's, as you will find out as you read this. (To see the real SA in action, go to Http//:www.eyrie.net/NXE and read the fanfic)

Adrian Shepherd is a character from the game Half-Life: Opposing Force. His personality, however, is mainly my creation.

Man, these notes are taking forever!

Fic Background

Interesting Times is an AU (Or Alternate Universe) fanfic based on Evangelion. The twist here is that (spoiler warning) Third Impact never happened, the world survived, the Angels were stopped, and Gendo Ikari was united with his wife, but not exactly in the way he wanted. (In other words, he's dead) All will be explained as the story unfolds…

Ha! Betcha thought that was the beginning of the fic!

Oh. Waitasec…It is. Damn.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Interesting Times-Chapter One: A New Enemy

Deep in the bowels of the Earth, a giant slumbered. Jet-Black, its gaunt form was barely indistinguishable from the shadows that enclosed it. Nearby, tiny forms scurried around, Lilliputians to a biomechanical Gulliver. The monster, heedless of the insignificant creatures surrounding it, slept.

The sleep of the damned…

Elsewhere…

YEEEEEEEEEHHHHAAAAAAA! The rebel yell resounded through the apartment of Misato Katsuragi, shaking furniture, and rattling the windows in their frames.

The other human inhabitants of the apartment, both asleep, were rudely jolted out of their relatively peaceful slumber by the vocalisation, prompting moans of complaint issuing from the respective bedrooms of said occupants. These were summarily ignored by Misato Katsuragi, as she crumpled the can of Yebisu and neatly threw it into the bin. For once, the NERV Major could be forgiven her optimistic attitude. The Angels were defeated, the Children were safe, and Gendo Ikari was dead. God was in his heaven, and all was, indeed, right with the world.

              As Misato finished that thought, Shinji Ikari dragged himself into the kitchen, his tired demeanour a stark contrast to Katsuragi's chipper one.

"What's up with you today, Misato?" asked the still-groggy Third Child. Before he could answer, though, the Second Child stumbled into the room, similarly disorientated.

"Ugh, was is das?" she mumbled sleepily. The other two members of the group stared curiously at Asuka Soryu Langley for a few moments.

"Wow, Misato, Asuka's too tired to be angry." The Second Child was, indeed, very tired, but not too tired to give Shinji a half-hearted slap.

"Dumkopf!"

"Ow!"

Observing them, the major sweatdropped. _After all this, they can still act childish. Is that a good thing? _

"Okay, you two, play nice. You're going to have to get used to each other's company, since neither of you are needed as pilot's, at least for the moment, and neither of you have school, because…there is no school." She finished, lamely. Tokyo-3 junior high had been stepped on by one of the next-gen Evas in the battle a few weeks ago, the same battle in which EVA-02 had been destroyed. The Unit's loss still had Asuka in a fragile state, with her sense of self-worth badly damaged. Misato was currently trying to build her up again, but she had no idea if it was working. Maybe this last outburst was a good sign.

_A few weeks ago…Misato shuddered as she remembered how close she had come to death at the hands of the force that assailed NERV at the climax of the battle with the Eva-05 units. Near death, she had managed to drag her way to a NERV checkpoint were she met an enclave of NERV security troops, and that was when she heard of the wide-spread retreat of the JSSDF troops that had been assaulting Central Dogma. She had then blacked out. She had awoken in the Central Dogma infirmary, and had been given the news that NERV had survived, the Children were safe, and an inquiry was underway at the highest levels of the UN, as to why it had issued the order to attack Tokyo-3. She had managed a slight smile at hearing this, only to pass out a moment later with a smile on her face._

Elsewhere…

In an elevator descending into the very bowels of the earth, a pair of figures stand. 

One stands ram-rod straight, an impressive figure, almost seven feet tall. The second figure, miniscule in comparison, is about five feet tall, with a much more slight build. The first figure wears a set of military fatigues, with no name or rank insignia, no indication of his identity visible. The second figure wears a form-fitting garment that conforms to the contours of his body. The elevator is almost unlit, what illumination there is coming through a small red light fixture on the ceiling, which bathes the two in a hellish glow.

The first man's features can be barely discerned in the darkness of the elevator. He stands absolutely still, and his face could have been carved from stone.  

The second occupant is considerably younger, a boy, in fact. He too remains motionless, without the fidgeting and restlessness that is common to most boys his age. His features are also cloaked in shadow, but one aspect of his visage is visible. His eyes. Even in the darkness, they almost glow. Their alizarin colour matching the light overhead.

At last, the elevator reaches its destination, thousands of feet below the surface of the Earth. At last, the first figure speaks.

"You are aware of your duty?" The voice could be considered cruel, if not for the complete lack of emotion within it.

"Yes." The second voice is equally expressionless.

"You will do what is required of you?"

"Yes."

"Go, then."

The second figure emerges from the elevator, stepping out into the light. His figure is completely illuminated as Kaworu Nagisa steps into the hallway. Emblazoned on the front of his plug-suit is the simple designation: **IEVA-00.**

He briskly makes his way to an observation gallery above a cavernous space which houses the prototype of the Improved Synthetic Lifeform Evangelion, IEVA-00. The beast is thirty stories tall, shaped like an ordinary EVA (If there is such a thing as an _ordinary Evangelion), but painted Jet-Black. In its hunched position, the massive biomech resembles a human in repose. __Almost as if it is sleeping… The stray thought finds its way into the pilot's mind, and he dismisses it with the mental equivalent of a shrug. Another stray thought, encouraged by a half-forgotten past, occurs to him. __I am the second…_

(Music: _Cruel Angel's Thesis, Yoko Takahashi)_

As the young pilot ponders his existence, he is joined by another figure, lithe in an identically coloured plug-suit.

"Hello, pilot Ayanami." A touch of warmth in his voice now.

"Hello, pilot Nagisa." The response is delivered in a soft, toneless voice, one that is also very familiar…

"Major Shepherd isn't exactly the most talkative person in the world, is he?"

"I would not know." The girl Nagisa is addressing is physically an exact copy of Rei Ayanami, apart from the ebon plug-suit she wears as she turns to face her companion.

"Hmmm?"

"I have not met everyone in the world, pilot Nagisa." Kaworu stares at her for a few moments, searching for an indication of humour in her tone. Finding none, he sweatdrops, and explains:

"That's a figure of speech, San."

"I see."

The two pilots are interrupted from their reverie by a voice coming over the base intercom. The voice declares, in English: __

_"-Pilot's Nagisa and Ayanami required in briefing room 04. Attention, Pilot's Nagisa and Ayanami required in-"_

"Look's like we're finally going to do something for once." The enthusiasm in Kaworu's voice is clear.

"It may simply be another round of dual harmonics tests", interjects San Ayanami quietly.

"Why don't you look on the bright side for once, San?" Queries Nagisa.

"I will do so when ordered to." She replies, with a hint of reproach in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah."

Several hundred miles away…

Along an almost abandoned street in the middle of a city just recovering from a war, Rei Ayanami walks along the pavement, with no specific destination in mind. Her mind is a flurry of thoughts and images, not all her own.

_Unite with me, Rei…_

_I…don't want to…unite with you…_

**_Join me, Rei…___**

_Who are you…?_

**_I am…your mother…the mother of you all…_**

****

_No…!_

With a start, Rei snaps back to reality, realising she has come to dead end, a once wide street blocked by rubble and debris. She looks around, finds that she is alone, and with a sigh, begins the walk back to her apartment…

"NO! NO WAY! NEVER!" Misato Katsuragi grits her teeth as she hears the now familiar refrain of denial.

"Come on, Asuka, Commander Fuyutsuki wants all the children under one roof so we can minimize the risk to you guys…"

"THERE IS NO WAY I AM SHARING MY ROOM WITH WONDERGIRL! Why can't she sleep in Shinji's room?"

"Uh…there are certain issues there…"

"I DON'T CARE!" _I think I liked Asuka better when she was depressed…For a moment, Misato debated telling the Second Child this, but decided against it._

"Look, Asuka, you may not be a pilot anymore-" Misato had the guilty satisfaction of seeing Asuka flinch. "-But I am still your commanding officer, and I am giving you a _direct order!" That seemed to work, until a few seconds later, when the Second Child stormed out of the room, her expression crumbling. __Nice going, Major she berated herself. She sighed, contemplating following Asuka, but deciding against it._

In the confines of her room, Asuka Soryu Langley collapsed on her bed, sobbing.

_…worthless…_

_I am worthless…_

_I can't pilot…_

_I have no friends anymore…_

Flashes of memory flew through her mind…Unit-02, Battles against the Angels, Shinji, Hikari, Misato, R-

_Wondergirl! A flash of loathing settled over mind like a wave breaking over the shore._

_You're nothing but a doll…a worthless excuse for a human being…_

_You do whatever you're told…_

_You follow orders without question…_

_You…Suddenly, Asuka realised the similarity between Rei and herself. __I hate her because of who she is, and I hate myself because of who I am…or what I can never be…_

Far away from the troubles of the Second Child…

The two pilots made their way down a corridor deep within the base, their footsteps echoing slightly in the almost complete silence. There were no other personnel in the area at the moment, and the base was understaffed anyway.

Kaworu Nagisa felt a mild sense of discomfort as he walked down the dimly-lit tunnels. He couldn't place the cause of his unease, but his earlier enthusiasm had drained away during the journey. Possibly due to his companion. 

In the silence, Nagisa suddenly felt the need to make conversation, though he knew that with San Ayanami, conversations tended to be slightly one-sided. He tried anyway.

"So…uh…how do you feel?" His demeanour was now the opposite of the calm, collected Kaworu Nagisa who had ridden the elevator down here.

"I am alive." Came the non-committal reply from Ayanami, who was as calm and collected as ever.

"Uh…so what do you think of Major Shepherd?" The taciturn officer had been the pilots' guardian since the day of their creation. The day they stepped out of the cloning tanks, and accepted their destiny.

"He is our immediate superior." _Another typical __San Ayanami answer, thought Kaworu with a hint of exasperation._

"No…I mean…what do you think of him …as a person?" The question seemed to surprise San, because she paused for a few moments before answering.

"He…cares for us." The answer, delivered in a quiet, measured tone, surprised Nagisa. He had never thought of his guardian in that respect. But…It made sense. The man had always been there at every step of their education and development within the base. Kaworu Nagisa (02) and San Ayanami had both spent their entire lives within the compound, their only contact with the outside being the briefings they received from their superiors, and what few sources of information they received from outside. San Ayanami had the red eyes and calm demeanour of most clones, but Kaworu had a significantly more precocious personality, possibly because he had been cloned directly from the genetic remnants of an Angel. The original Tabris' DNA had been diluted considerably with human genetic information, so that, while Nagisa (02) was physically identical to the original Angel of Free Will, he was lacking in paranormal abilities. He knew none of this, only that he was a clone, who had been created for a very important purpose that would be revealed to him in due time.

The contents of San Ayanami's mind were a mystery, at least to Kaworu. He had known her all his life, such as it was. In fact, both of them had been alive less than a year, their 'births' coinciding with the creation of the IEVA. They had no-one apart from each other, Major Shepherd, and some of the guards assigned to the facility to talk to. _And…my Purpose. The clone smiled slightly as he realised he was thinking in Italics._

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world…

Tokyo-3 was a city that had seen Hell. And survived. Though most of the city lay in ruins, increasingly enthusiastic rebuilding iniatives were slowly pushing back the walls of rubble and slag, and restoring the once-pristine towers to their former glory.

The city stood as a testament to man's ability to survive, and to flourish in the face of adversity. 

Another sign of mankind's strength of will, or bloody-minded stubbornness, was the fact that finally, the citizens of Tokyo-3 were returning to their homes, or what was left of them…

Among those returning was Kensuke Aida, former classmate of Shinji, Rei, and Asuka, and fanatical war enthusiast. While recent events in his home city had tempered his fascination with all things military, he still retained his interest in the hardware that had destroyed much of Tokyo-3.

"Wow! There's a M10-A2 Main Battle Tank! And a GAU-11B Anti-Aircraft vehicle! And…Omigod! An IX3 Mobile Missile Launcher!" His face was pressed to the window of the train as he, his family, and some other former refugees were transported back into the city.

"Don't you ever get tired of this stuff?" Sighed Touji Suzuhara, from the seat next to him. "You must have seen tons of pictures of all this…stuff." He frowned as his verbal abilities failed him.

"No way! Not ever!" The bespectacled teenager asserted, straining against the window for a better view.

On the other side of the city, another meeting was taking place, under considerably less amiable circumstances. In the apartment of Misato Katsuragi, Asuka Soryu Langley was reading a magazine, looking for all the world like a care-free 15 year-old. She was, in fact, concentrating on her reading, making what was supposed to be a leisurely activity into a difficult mental exercise.

Her quiet self-punishment was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. The unexpected sound caused her to start. She then rose, cursing her nervousness. Vaguely annoyed at the interruption of her chastisement, she answered the door. Her mood was not improved when she discovered who was at the door.

"Oh. It's you." She announced flatly. She leaned against the doorframe and sighed, a trace of her old arrogance and condescension leaking through her tone. "Well, don't just stand there, Wondergirl, come on in…" Rei Ayanami, who had been waiting at the door, nodded and entered the room. She then stood still and looked at Asuka quizzically. "What is it? Ugh, you make me so mad sometimes…" Asuka burst out of the hallway without waiting for an answer. As she entered the living room, she heard the First Child's voice calmly inquire: 

"Where am I to sleep?" Asuka's voice came back, slightly muffled by the wall between the pair.

"Misato _ordered me to let you sleep in my room, so that's where you're staying. You can sleep on the futon next to the bed, and don't spread your stuff around too much!"_

"I will not."

"…Good!" Asuka was finding it hard to sustain her irritation with the First Child in the face of her overwhelming depression.

On the other side of the world, under hundreds of feet of rock and earth, a third confrontation was taking place. This meeting was no friendlier than the second, but much more formal, wearing a mask of civility that hid the icy enmity between the two participants.

Major Adrian Shepherd stood at parade-ground attention, in front of a large, ceiling high viewscreen. He was currently in the base's communications centre, awaiting a debriefing from his superiors. While he was not the highest ranking officer on the base, he answered to no-one here.

A few seconds later, the comm. Officer informed him that the transmission was coming through. Mentally, he braced himself as the screen lit up, throwing his formerly shadowed features into sharp relief. He wasn't very old, about 30 or so years of age, but his expression, face, and the scars visible on it gave the impression that he had seen the worst war had to offer, and that he had survived it.

The face on the screen escapes description at this moment, but it's voice was cold, seemingly drained of any warmth or human compassion. A voice much like Shepherd's own.

**_"Report, Major."_**

"Sir, the IEVA program is progressing along the required schedule, the pilots' training is going as well as can be expected, and-" The Voice cut him off.

**_"As well as can be expected? What does that _****mean_, Major?"_**

"The pilots' mental development is proceeding as normal with human teenagers, and this could cause problems. Teenagers are inclined to be rebellious, no matter how dedicated they might be."

**_"Pilot Ayanami? Rebellious?" The voice seemed vaguely amused at the notion._**

"I was thinking of pilot Nagisa, sir, but he may also have a negative effect on his co-pilot…"

**_"The Improved Evangelion requires two pilots. You cannot dispose of one." The Major seemed genuinely alarmed at the suggestion. He almost twitched._**

"That was not my intention, sir…I thought that, perhaps, the two pilots could be exposed to a more normal lifestyle-"

**_"No." The simply worded rebuke silenced the Major, and he continued with his status report._**

Elsewhere, not far way, the two children in question were undergoing standard training. _Their standard training, at any rate. Any other children would have found it distinctly extraordinary, even NERV's children._

The two pilots were currently seated in a mock entry plug, which differed in an important way to all other entry plugs previously constructed. This piece of machinery had been designed for two. Inside, Kaworu Nagisa and San Ayanami sat side by side, silently running down the checklist of vital systems onside the Evangelion.

The Improved Evangelion, IEVA, utilised a number of unusual approaches in its design. Having a pair of pilots was an extremely useful advantage. With one piloting the Eva, and another monitoring the creature's dual AT fields, the beast was transformed into a brutally effective fighting machine. At least in theory. The machine had never actually seen combat, and it's pilots were still inexperienced, requiring the sharpening of instincts and co-ordination which could only come from combat. A simulation wasn't perfect, but it was the next best thing. Currently the IEVA or rather a simulacrum thereof, was battling a holographic Angel, which was identical to Shamshel, the fourth Angel. 

During battle, Kaworu handled the actual piloting, while San controlled the output of the IEVA's dual AT fields, ensuring that they did not overlap, and therefore negate each other. Both were difficult tasks, and each required intense concentration on the part of both pilots.

This concentration paid off as, in an almost leisurely movement, the black Evangelion pirouetted on its heel, brought down its progressive knife, and neatly bisected the insectoid Angel.

By way of congratulation, a dry, impersonal voice came over the radio.

_"Unit-00, primary objective accomplished. Move to docking area 01, disembark, and report for debriefing at 0930 hours."_

Two voices answered as one: "Yes, sir." Curiously, Kaworu Nagisa's voice was identical in tone and inflection to that of his partner. This was a side-effect of the dual entry plug technology, caused by both pilots becoming mentally 'linked', causing the two to act in almost perfect synchronisation, and also made them speak in stereo for a short period afterwards. The effect was rather surreal, and was the source of much quiet amusement between the members of the control-room staff.

As the two children exited their plug and made their way to the changing room, neither of them felt the need to speak, Ayanami because she almost never felt the need to make conversation, and Nagisa because he was still figuring out which vocal chords were his. The dual-sync system often left him confused and disorientated, though it seemed to have no such effects on San. He had never said so out loud, but he almost enjoyed the feeling of being _one with a person on that level, and the experience left him feeling a vague, warm tingling on his skin. He was savouring that sensation when the pair entered the changing room. They stripped off their plug-suits without self-consciousness, having known each other all their lives; they didn't really have any secrets from each other. _

They both changed into unmarked grey military fatigues, and exited the room. In the hallway outside, they turned right at a junction, heading through the base's labyrinthian network of tunnels. Within a few moments, Kaworu had regained the ability to speak. 

"Some test, huh?"

"What do you mean, pilot Nagisa?"

"…I mean, the test went well."

"Yes."

"You know, you could try calling me Kaworu, San."

"Why?"

"I'd…just be more comfortable if you did." San Ayanami turned to face him as he said that, curiosity written on her features.

"Would it make you…" She searched for the word. "…happy?" Kaworu blinked, and stared at the floor for a few moments as they both walked along. He then replied:

"Yes…it would."

"Then I will address you as such, Kaworu."

"Thanks…San." The serene, blue-haired clone simply nodded to him, and continued down the corridor to the debriefing room.

Nagisa (02) was left standing there for a few moments, before coming to his senses, at which point he hurried after his co-pilot down the hall. Anyone who had ever met the original Kaworu Nagisa would have been amused by the differences in mannerisms between the first and this facsimile. Where the seventeenth Angel had been calm and assured in his movements, this one moved in a more furtive fashion, more akin to the Third Child.

Ahead of him, his fellow clone moved with the same silent grace that her genetic sister moved with. In a way, however, the movements of her thoughts within her mind were confused and hesitant, the emotions within unable to rise to the surface, bubbling in the depths of her mind.

_Do I…make him happy? Why?_

_…_

_Is he…my friend?_

_…_

_What is my connection to him, apart from the obvious?_

_…_

_Why does he make me feel this way?_

_…_

_I feel…comfortable around him._

_…_

_…_

_…_

_…_

As a coherent thought emerged in her mind, she halted in the middle of the corridor. She turned her head to look at her partner, her crimson eyes resting on his own.

"Pilot Na-…Kaworu, how do you feel about me?" The sentence, spoken in San's calm, inflectionless voice, nonetheless stopped 'Nagisa' cold.

"W-What?" He stammered, because her question had touched upon the exact subject of his thoughts at that moment.

"What emotions do I inspire in you?" Her expression was as serene as ever.

"Uh…" He gulped and averted his eyes, seeking some answer in the white-painted concrete of the corridor walls.

_…_

_…_

_…_

The two adolescents were interrupted by the voice on the base intercom, speaking in its trademark deadpan tone.

_"Pilots Nagisa and Ayanami, report to briefing room 04. I say again, Pilots Nagisa and Ayanami required in briefing room 04." Kaworu almost jumped as the voice came over the com, something he had never done before._

"We…uh, better get going." And with that excuse he hastily withdrew down the hallway. San Ayanami was left in his wake, standing still for a few moments, pondering the implications of her companion's actions.

_Why does he run? He has never been so eager to be prompt. Does he wish to avoid me?_

_…_

_…_

_He was uncomfortable when talking to me._

_…_

_…_

_Does he hate me?_

On the other side of the world, something was happening, an event that would change things for everyone involved.

A group of shadows moved through the wrecked streets of Tokyo-3, insubstantial wraiths floating just above ground level. Their presence seemed to be not of this earth, but these were not Angels. They were men.

The indistinct shapes stuck to the shadows, occasionally emerging to dart to a new piece of cover. When they did this, it was possible to glimpse a flash of urban camouflage, the outline of a pair of night-vision goggles, the silhouette of a silenced sub-machine gun.

(Music: _Angel Theme Tune: Neon Genesis Evangelion)_

Anyone able to approach one of these commandos undetected, an almost impossible task, would have been able to discern the whispered conversation going over the squad's radios.

_"Group, this is one. Advance to point Alpha Gamma 14."_

_"Affirmative", "Yes sir", "Uh…"_

_"Four? What's the problem?"_

_"Uh…where AG14?" The commando team face-faulted, though the action was completely soundless. The lead operative got up, and indicated a nearby skyscraper._

_"Over there, four."_

_"Jesus…"_

_"Heh heh heh."_

_"Just because I don't have a god-damned photographic memory like y-"_

_"Hold it." The team froze, becoming almost invisible in the shadows. Ahead of them, a pair of headlights appeared, lights that belonged to a blue car that raced past the corner the Special Forces troops were standing at._

_"Fuck, that was close."_

_"Yeah."_

_"Sir?"_

_ "Three?"_

_"My NVGs. They're washed out, and I can't see a damn thing."_

_"Just go bare-eyed. We won't need the Image Intensifiers for long anyway."_

_"As if this mission isn't stupid enough without equipment problems."_

_"Deal with it, Three. Two, take point. Squad, move out!"_

The four commandos resumed their movement through the city. 'One' was Staff Sergeant Mike Bitterman. A tall, muscular man, he was the leader of the team. 'Two' was Corporal Juan Vasquez, a shorter, similarly muscular man, with a Latino cast to his features. 'Three', with the equipment problems, was Corporal John Harrison. Known as Frosty to his team-mates because of his coolness under fire, the Corporal, after Bitterman, was the most experienced soldier on the team. 'Four' was Corporal Jack Hudson, better known as Duke. His map-reading skills aside, he was a competent and reliable soldier, despite being the youngest commando in the squad.

None of the soldiers in the squad was inclined towards humour at the moment. Their mission took precedence over all else. The fact that their mission was obviously immoral was also a factor. Other troops would have crumbled under those orders, or refused to carry them out. These soldiers were too professional for that.

Ironically, they had entered the Special Forces to safeguard the lives of civilians, and precisely because they were the elite, their orders would make them murderers. There was no way the issue could avoided by calling their objectives 'collateral damage', 'acceptable casualties', or hiding them behind euphemisms or military terminology. They were going into the field _to murder children._

As the team paced towards an apartment building in the distance, the occupants of said apartment were attempting to enjoy a meal.

"Pass the soya sauce, Asuka."

"Oh, get it yourself."

"_Asuka…"_

"Yes, _major."_

"…Thank you." On the other side of the table, trying to keep to himself, Shinji Ikari sat, quietly eating his instant ramen. Occasionally, he would dare to take a look at Asuka and Misato, on the other side of the table. The air between them seemed to spark, and whenever their eyes met, they glared daggers at each other. Misato's earlier attempts at reconciliation had met with the brick wall of Asuka's stubbornness, and apparently things had been said, on subjects that probably should have been left alone. So now, neither of them wanted to talk to each other.

The fourth member of the group had not so far entered the conversation, whether through coincidence or design. Shinji's gaze rested on Rei as she sat quietly next to him, eating with delicate, conservative movements. She did not return his gaze, apparently intent on her meal. Without realising that he was doing it, he began to study the shape of her face, the way her hair fell partly across it, the movements of her neck as she swallowed, and the way she brushed her hair away from her eyes.

While Shinji was thus entranced by the First Child, Asuka and Misato had begun to make their argument more verbal. Both Shinji and Rei looked up curiously as Asuka uttered a particularly foul imprecation in German, and their stares both swivelled towards Misato as she reddened in quite a startling fashion.

At that point, the First and Third children made eye contact. Shinji almost jumped as he found himself staring into a pair of startling Alizarin orbs.

Rei's eyes widened slightly as she looked into Shinji's eyes, an almost electrical feeling passing between the two adolescents. The background noise of their two companions' arguing faded into the background as they looked into each other's eyes.

On the roof of the terraced apartment building, Echo Squad had assembled.

_"Squad, this is One. Check in."_

_"Two."_

_"Three."_

_"Four."_

_"Echo Squad at full manpower, all personnel accounted for…" On the face of it, the exercise seemed ridiculous, as each team member was in plain sight of the others, though not to untrained observers looking on. However, this exchange was for the benefit of the command crew, secure in a bunker on the other side of the world, thousands of feet under the ground. The radio transmissions were automatically recorded and uploaded via satellite to the command centre, and the system worked both ways, allowing the command crew to update the squad on objectives and enemy dispositions. Not now, though. The squad had been ordered not to transmit until they had accomplished their objectives. All three of them._

"YOU LITTLE…HOW DARE YOU SAY-!" The argument was cut off as the door to Shinji's room closed, leaving the First and Third children standing in the relative quiet of Shinji's domicile. Shinji gave a nervous glance at the door behind him, before turning to his companion. Rei was looking blankly around the room, and didn't seem to notice the Third Child's stare.

"So…uh…" Shinji's attempt at making conversation floundered as Rei turned to face him, her crimson gaze falling on his face. 

"Yes, Shinji?" His eyes darted around the room, trying to avoid eye contact. 

"Do…uh…do you think they'll ever stop over there?" He said, indicating the altercation taking place in the adjacent room.

"They will have to respire eventually." Shinji blinked, then smiled. Rei's sense of humour took some getting use to.

"Yeah, I guess so." At this point their eyes met. Both were taken unawares by the sensation that surged through them, and both gulped in unison. They unconsciously moved closer together, and they were preparing to demonstrate their respective affections as the door slammed open. They both yelped in surprise, then looked at each other sheepishly as the enraged Second Child stormed into the room. Asuka was too caught up in her own indignation that she failed to register the two, and their proximity to each other, for a few moments. 

"Stupid, _scheisse-kopf , Major __Fucking Katsuragi…" She ranted for a few moments before noticing the room's other occupants. Her eyes widened slightly at how close the two were. "Great job, Wondergirl, only here one day so far and you're already coming on to Third here. __Gott in himmel!" In a similar fashion to her arrival, she stormed out of the room and headed towards her own. Shinji and Rei both stared at the door for a few moments, then looked at each other and blushed in unison. They both studied the floor for a few moments, and then Shinji said:_

"I'm, uh…sorry, Rei." The blue-haired adolescent looked surprised for a moment, then shook her head.

"There is no need for an apology, Shinji Ikari. I found that experience…enjoyable."

"Getting interrupted by Asuka?" Rei shook her head and raised an eyebrow. "Oh…" Just as the Third Child was trying to work up the courage to continue where they had left off, Rei spoke.

"Perhaps we should rejoin Major Katsuragi in the living room." Shinji nodded hurriedly, and followed Rei out of the door. 

Misato Katsuragi wasn't in the living room. She was, instead, on the phone, ranting non-stop to the unfortunate listener on the other side of the line.

"And _then she said-" Ritsuko Akagi's voice interrupted on the other side of the line._

"Okay, okay, slow down Misato. Why's Asuka so pissed off?"

"I said something about her not being able to pilot anymore."

"Good job, Major."

"Look, I said I was sorry, okay? There was no excuse for what I said. But there was also no excuse for what she sai-"

"What happened next?"

"Oh, me, Shinji, Asuka and Rei were ju-"

"What's Rei doing over there, you invite her over for dinner or something? With _you cooking? I thought you liked Rei?"_

"What do you mean? The Human Resources Director ordered her to move in."

"Misato, _I am the Human Resources Director, in addition to all my other duties, and I ordered no such thing."_

"What?"

"It's the truth. Are you sure you didn't just misinterpret some itineraries or something?"

"Huh?" There was a long sigh on the other side of the line, a sigh which denoted years of patience rapidly wearing thin.

"Look, what I mean is that maybe you misunderstood an order for someone else." Misato's inevitably indignant reply caused the blonde doctor to hurriedly hold the phone away from her ears. The extra noise made it all the more surprising when the line went dead in the middle of Major Katsuragi's rant.

"What the…? Misato?" Ritsuko stared at the phone for a moment, then sighed. "Damn phone lines."

"Damn phone lines!" Misato hang up, and stomped over to the living room. Pen-Pen, Tokyo-3's resident penguin, had long since made himself scarce, the friction between the apartment's occupants proving to hot for him to handle. Shinji and Rei were also there, sitting close enough together that if Misato Katsuragi had been thinking rationally, she would have taken note of this, but as it was she was having difficulty seeing through the red haze that kept clouding her vision.

As his commanding officer entered the room, Shinji suddenly became painfully aware of his proximity to the first child. He eyed Misato nervously as she sat down opposite them, and noisily opened a can of beer. The two children watched, fascinated, as Misato downed the entire can in one gulp, threw it over her shoulder, and in the same movement picked up and opened another one.

Outside, on the roof of the apartment building, the commando squad was preparing an assault. 'One' and 'Two' had both rappelled down the side of the building sticking to the shadows, hanging like a pair of spiders from their drop-lines.

_"Two, prepare for assault." Two's hand reached into a pocket on his gear, withdrawing to reveal a flash grenade, capable of producing a disorienting flash of light, stunning its victims; the perfect weapon for this operation._

_"Ready." One shifted position, moving near the balcony of Misato Katsuragi's apartment. The plan was simple. Two, Corporal Vasquez, would smash the window, and toss the grenade inside. The second the phosphorescent explosive went off, One would enter the apartment, followed by Two, and they would 'dispose' of any civilians inside, completing their mission. Their assault had been timed to coincide with the time Major Katsuragi was known to usually eat dinner._

Inside the apartment, conversation had lapsed into a sullen and awkward silence. Misato had long since stopped drinking, and was now tending the last remnants of her meal. Shinji and Rei, having exhausted all possible topics of conversation, had moved to other areas of the room to watch TV. Every now and then, they would throw a nervous glance at one another, as if to check that the other was still there.

For Rei Ayanami, the emotions she was experiencing were new, and strange. She found herself wanting to look at Shinji constantly, and she felt a strange desire to be near to him.

For Shinji Ikari, the emotions running through his mind were slightly alarming. He felt a compulsion to look at Rei, to be near her.

Although neither child had put the word to what they were experiencing, they were in love.

Realising that he had been staring at Rei for the last few moments, he abruptly changed his position, lying down facing the TV. As he watched, he could practically feel her eyes on his back, and eventually he turned around to meet her gaze.

For a moment, both adolescents stayed that way, then as one they rose and approached each other. Trying to act calm, Shinji cleared his throat and gestured towards the door of his room. "Uh…do you…want to…?" He stuttered, his vocal chords freezing. Rei simply nodded. The two teenagers walked quietly into Shinji's room.

Back at the table, Misato was contemplating her plate. Having swallowed her pride, she was rehearsing her apology to Asuka. Looking up, she thought she saw a flicker of movement at the window, a subtle deforming of the shadows outside.

Since the climactic battle against the next-generation Evangelions, Misato Katsuragi had always carried a standard-issue sidearm wherever she went. She had carried a gun before, but she was now much less casual in her use of it.

The shadows stirred again, and her suspicions were firmly aroused. This was why, when the glass balcony door shattered and the stun grenade rolled in, she had already drawn her weapon, rolled behind a couch and gotten the phone.

_"Fire in the hole!" The grenade bounced along the floor, coming to rest where Misato had been sitting. A heartbeat later, the weapon exploded, a ringing flash that was audible for miles around. The second it detonated, One was through the door, bringing his sub-machinegun up. He was confronted with an empty room. Assuming that Katsuragi was in one of the other rooms, he turned towards Asuka's quarters. This meant that, a fraction of a second later, he was completely unprepared when Misato Katsuragi jumped up from behind the couch and shot him in the neck. He dropped without a sound. _

Corporal Vasquez, Two, had just made it through the doorway. Raising his SMG, he fired a three-round burst, missing Misato by centimetres. Her return fire was more accurate though, as a .45 millimetre slug struck Two in the arm. Diving to the ground, he managed to avoid the rest of Misato's fire. Unfortunately for him, he had been hit in the right arm and dropped his weapon. Even more unfortunately, his downward trajectory coincided with the position of Misato's refrigerator, and the impact knocked him out cold.

On the roof, the rest of the assault team was waiting. Harrison swore as he heard the gunshots, and he swore even more when his requests for information went unanswered. Switching his transmitter to broadcast, he sent a message.

_"Command, do you receive me? Both One and Two are down, presumed KIA. What do we do?" The answer was back in moments._

_"Three, abort assault, I repeat, abort the assault. Head back to the rallying point."_

"God damn it…_We read you command, falling back. Three out."  Cursing, the gas-masked commando gestured to his companion, and the two soldiers disappeared, without visible effort, into the shadows from whence they had come, as the rising wail of the police sirens drew closer._

At the time of the attack, Asuka Soryu Langley was, unsurprisingly, in her room, and, unsurprisingly, she was in a foul mood. This mood, rather than being brought on by her current hatred of Misato Katsuragi, was brought on by feelings of guilt, caused by certain things she had said or alluded to during her not-so-brief row with Misato. Having drowned in the depths of self pity for a few minutes after interrupting Shinji and Rei's romantic interlude, she had then begun to think in a more balanced fashion, and had begun regretting some of the things she had said in the past two hours.

Asuka had been working up the courage to go into the living room and apologise when an apocalyptically loud explosion caused her to jump out of her bed. She lay on the floor for a few moments, trying to convince herself that it was probably something on the TV, when several startlingly loud gunshots rang out. _Gott in Himmel, there's a battle going on in the living room. Has Rei finally flipped? The absurd thought was the first to cross her mind, and she sniggered despite herself. There were a few moments of quiet, and then the door opened._

At the time of the attack, Shinji and Rei were both in Shinji's room._ They had attempted to make small talk, and had spent a few moments in speculation as to whether Misato and Asuka would ever make up, and whether any of their old friends would return to Tokyo-3 now that the Angel threat no longer existed. Eventually, though, they simply ran out of topics, and were about to resort to the 'staring deeply into each other's eyes' thing for a few moments, when Vasquez's grenade ended their awkward flirting. Acting on instinct, they both hurled themselves to the floor, yelling out in alarm. They remained in this position, ducking a little lower when the gunshots went off, until there was silence. _

Shinji carefully raised his head, looked around, and then became aware of Rei's position relative to his own. He was lying on top of her. Her somewhat pained expression indicated that his precipitous removal of his person might be welcomed. He hurriedly scrambled off her, and they both stood up.

"Uh…sorry, R-" He was interrupted as the door burst open. It was Misato, holding a gun, with a more than slightly alarmed Asuka trailing behind. Before either of the Children could speak:

"Shinji, Rei, come with me. We're going to NERV, ASAP!"

"What happen-"

"No time to explain, just come with me!" The Major seemed slightly breathless.

Had Shinji been capable of protesting at that point, the sight that greeted him when he walked through the threshold into the living room silenced him. The room was a mess, with bullet holes stitched into most of the walls, furniture scattered around, and what seemed to be a pair of dead bodies strewn on the floor.

"Misato, what _happened?" The Major paused._

"I don't know who they were, but we were attacked. I managed to kill all of them, I think…" Misato's sentence was interrupted by a slight movement to her right. One of the corpses, which had fallen across the refrigerator, had stirred, moving its head slightly. Instantly, Misato had her pistol pointed at the incapacitated commando. "Damn, one of them is still alive." Looking back at the children, she evaluated their conditions. Shinji and Asuka were understandably shocked, but Rei, aside from looking a little ruffled, seemed calm enough. "Rei, get the phone, and call the police. Then call NERV, and tell them we'll be on our way soon…"

End of Chapter One

Well, whatcha think? That took me the better part of two months to complete. It's been a real labour of love. Love for NGE, obviously.

I'd also like to say, sorry for any glaring inaccuracies or mistakes in the text. My memories of Evangelion are sketchy, though the Sci-Fi channel (I live in Britain) is currently rerunning episodes of Eva.

I plan writing this story in bi-monthly instalments, so as to avoid annoying waits for new chapters.

See ya!


	2. Better the IEVA you know

Interesting Times-Chapter Two

An Evangelion Fanfic by…

Disclaimer:

Neon Genesis Evangelion© copyright Gainax© 1997…or was it '98? Or maybe it was '95? I forget.

All characters from that series are owned by Gainax, ADV, or whoever they belong to, and they are not mine.

San Ayanami (or at least her name) created by the good people at Eyrie Productions.

Adrian Shepherd (or, more accurately, his name) created by the equally good people at Gearbox studios.

Juan Vasquez, John Harrison, Duke, and various other characters created by yours truly.

The title was inspired from a Terry Pratchett book of the same name, but otherwise has nothing to do with it.

Major thanks to Raven, for a concise review, and coincidentally, my first one.

Thanks as well to Over Amped Duracell Bunny, for his offer.

Author's Notes:

This is, as you have probably figured out already, the second chapter of my Neon Genesis Evangelion Fanfic, Interesting Times. If you haven't read the first chapter, chances are you will have difficulty understanding this one. I suggest you read the first Chapter before you start this, but just in case…

The story so far…

The basic premise of this Fanfic is: Third Impact never happened, Gendo Ikari died, and the Three Children (Touji, crippled by Bardiel, is obviously no longer a pilot, and was evacuated along with the rest of the city during the final battle with the next-gen Evas.) resumed, or attempted to resume, their lives as normal. Unfortunately, certain powers that be have no intention of letting them do so, and attempt to murder the children, by sending in a commando team. The attack is narrowly foiled by Misato, and one of the commandos is taken alive. Oh yeah, and Ritsuko's not dead.

Hope you guys all like this one. Reviews are welcome, as is constructive criticism

But anyway, enjoy the fic.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Interesting Times-Chapter Two: Better the IEVA you know

"What's the status of the prisoner?" asked Misato Katsuragi as she strode into the control room. One of the monitoring screens was showing a visual feed from a prison cell deep in Central Dogma. The image displayed was of a dimly lit cell, with a figure crouched in the corner. Ritsuko Akagi turned around as her friend entered the room.

"About two hours ago, he attempted to use a suicide pill concealed in his mouth. The guards managed to get him to emergency before any major damage could be done. Fortunately, the poison was slow acting, but it did temporarily damage his vocal chords, which I think was the intention." Misato smirked, feeling a vicarious satisfaction that the former assassin was in pain.

As the two spoke, the figure on the screen, unnoticed by the two women, was moving. Slowly, deliberately, the prisoner walked over to a wall, placed both hands on it at head height, and banged his head into the wall. He repeated this activity for a few moments, to no apparent effect, until Ritsuko caught sight of the prisoner's activities. "Good God! Security, restrain the prisoner immediately!" Misato gaped, open-mouthed, as the detainee continued. A few seconds later, security guards piled on the man, wrestling him to the floor. Misato turned away, shaken. The man's blatant lack of concern for his own safety had startled her, though she had felt the same way a few times in her life. _Whoever he is, he certainly has dedication. She shook her head, trying to clear the thoughts away, and left the control room, heading to the Children's temporary quarters in the base._

Inside the dark, soundproofed cell that had been displayed on the command centre monitors previously, Corporal Juan Vasquez sat, the taste of failure bitter in his mouth, mixed with the satisfaction of not completing his mission, not becoming a murderer of children. The 'suicide' pill was, in fact, no such thing. It was designed to render the vocal chords temporarily inoperable, making the interrogation of the captured operative much more difficult. The organisation Vasquez worked for did not throw away its agents, if for no other reason than their training cost too much to waste. It was this very training that made Operative Two so certain that his internment would not last. He also had no intention of dying here, or being interrogated more intensively. This last thought caused him a small flicker of surprise. When he had been taken prisoner, having been knocked unconscious during the failed assault on the Evangelion pilots, he had been expecting a full-blown chemical-assisted interrogation. Either NERV wasn't as tough as the briefings and Juan's initial impressions had suggested, or, more likely, they were waiting, deciding exactly how to dissect his psyche.

Either way, he didn't intend to find out.

During his second 'suicide attempt', he had managed to grab something from one of the guards who had tackled him: A small pocket-knife. Why one of the guards had been foolish enough to be carrying such an item didn't matter to Vasquez. The fact that he was now in possession of a weapon did. The grey prison overalls that he had been issued with were equipped with pockets, another foolish oversight, and one that Vasquez fully intended to take advantage of.

In the grim darkness of the prison cell, a bleak smile formed, glinting dully in the artificial twilight.

(Music: _Angels, Neon Genesis Evangelion OST 1)_

Not so far away, Misato Katsuragi walked as calmly as she could, towards the room where the Children were being held. Despite her formerly calm demeanour, she was in fact worried sick about her charges. Also, she hadn't figured out the identity of the attackers. SEELE hadn't made any more moves after their abortive attack on the GeoFront, and popular rumour around the base suggested that the ancient, secret organisation had disappeared from the face of the earth. Misato would have been happy to believe this to be true, but she was far too canny to let her suspicions slip.

The fact that, on the night of the attack, she had been otherwise occupied had slipped her mind.

In a room about a hundred yards away, the objects of Misato Katsuragi's concern sat, in various states of dishevelment. Predictably, the First Child was the most collected person in the room, sitting in her chair and observing Shinji. The Second and Third children were both in shock to some extent, but Shinji at least, had someone close to share his feelings with. With Asuka, she generally expressed her feelings at the top of her voice, to anyone within a hundred-metre radius. Rei, and to a lesser extent Shinji, both had trouble expressing their emotions, except under extreme conditions, like when they felt threatened. Now, though, it was those two, or at least Shinji, who were doing the emoting. Asuka, on the other hand, simply sat at the end of the room's only couch, staring into space, and taking no notice of Rei and Shinji's conversation. Few could have hazarded a guess as to what was going through her mind at that point, and fewer still would have decided to ask.

"Pilot Soryu, is something wrong?"

Perhaps the only thing that had sustained Asuka during her piloting career was her overwhelming desire to be _the best. Her ego had managed to survive a few early blows, such as Shinji's assistance during her first battle, or needing to co-operate with him during her second. However, her ego was like a diamond, appearing impervious, but as fragile as glass when struck correctly. The final straw had been the attack of Arael, the fifteenth Angel. That experience had virtually destroyed Asuka mentally, but she had somehow managed to recover…just in time for SEELE's attack. It had been fortunate timing to say the least._

"Pilot Soryu?"

Or maybe unfortunate timing, because the experience of having her Evangelion utterly destroyed around her hadn't done much for Asuka's mental health. Misato had decided to attempt to build Asuka back up again, but unfortunately, the often short-tempered Major Katsuragi wasn't ideally suited to the task.

"Pilot…Asuka? What is the matter?"

God only knew what the result of these recent experiences would be.

Asuka was jarred from her melancholy introspection by a soft touch on her arm. She looked around numbly, and found herself staring into a pair of scarlet eyes. She blinked in surprise. Rei had never been this forthcoming before.

The Second Child opened her mouth, preparing a retort that never saw the light of day, as Misato hurried into the room. The normally laid-back Major looked distinctly harried, which was understandable given the amount of stress she had encountered recently. Casting a worried look around the room, as if checking for more unwanted intruders, she made her way over to the corner the Children were occupying.

"Are you all okay?" The question was said more to break the numb silence, than to get an accurate answer. Misato's query was met with a pair of slow nods, and a softly spoken 'yes'. The silence continued unabated for a few more seconds, and then Shinji voiced a seemingly obvious question that had not yet been asked.

"M-Misato…who were they?" The Major lowered her gaze, running her eyes along the dull white tile of the floor.

"We don't know yet, Shinji."

"Was it SEELE again?" After the climactic battle of Tokyo-3, the pilots had received a very comprehensive briefing about SEELE and NERV's original purpose, from the organisation's new Commander-in Chief, Kouzo Fuyutski. Shinji had originally been crushed at the amount of information and background that had been kept secret from him, and then outraged for the same reason. His anger had deflated not inconsiderably when he realised that the object of his anger was no longer around, his father having been killed in an explosion deep in the bowels of Terminal Dogma.

One thing Shinji hadn't been briefed fully about was Rei's involvement in the attempted Third Impact, and the enigmatic First Child had so far not revealed her origins to Shinji. In fact, the only surviving personnel who knew of Ayanami Rei's past were Kouzo Fuyutski, Ritsuko Akagi, and Rei herself. Oddly for Rei, (or perhaps not considering her new-found emotional freedom) she had not worked up the courage to tell Shinji. 

_I am afraid…because he might think differently of me…I don't want him to hate me._

This emotional turmoil was a relatively new feeling for Rei. She had acquired a sense of tact. The first Rei had not considered the effect the words 'you old hag' would have on Naoko Akagi, to her detriment, and the second Rei had not been overly thrilled with Asuka's invitation of friendship, but now, after a Third chance, the First Child was much further on her way to becoming human in an emotional sense.

"SEELE?" Misato shook her head. "They took enough of a beating during the battle here, and with their command structure decapitated, they're falling apart. They couldn't have launched the attack."

"Oh." The emotional security Shinji had acquired with the victory over SEELE had vanished with the revelation that there was obviously another enemy out there, one that was not nearly so clearly defined as the Angelic threat had been.

Shinji's shoulders slumped, and he almost felt like crying. It wasn't over; and it might never be as long as he lived. Then he looked over to his side, and saw Rei. The First Child was looking at Asuka. The Second Child seemed to be lost for words, which didn't look as incongruous as it might have, considering the circumstances.

"W-What is it, Rei?" Asuka's use of the First Child's name caused Shinji to blink. Asuka was obviously as disoriented as he was.

"I was wondering whether you felt alright…Asuka." The Second Child's mouth fell open. Shinji saw her shoulders tense, and braced himself for an explosion, but the outburst didn't come. Instead, Asuka slumped in her seat, tears springing to her eyes.

Shinji stared, wide-eyed. This was a sight he had never experienced before, and the feelings that accompanied the sight made him remember the night Kaji Ryouji had died. This time, though, there was no running away. Fortunately for Shinji, his participation was not required, because before he could figure out how to act, the First Child did. Rei moved closer to Asuka, and wrapped her arms around the crying Second Child. Asuka, apparently too far gone to notice the bizarre nature of the situation, leaned into Rei's shoulder. Shinji gaped. _I never thought Rei was…and then he shook his head, ashamed at his assumption. He looked away, at Misato, who was staring shamefaced at the scene. A whirl of thoughts raced through the boy's mind, competing with each other to make themselves heard. _

_Look at yourself…_

_Just like the night Kaji died…_

_You didn't help Misato then, and you're not helping Asuka now…_

_…_

_But Rei's already…_

_Who do you think Asuka would prefer? The only reason she's clinging on to Ayanami is that she's having a mental breakdown, she doesn't know what she's doing…_

_…_

_…_

Despite being immersed in thought, Shinji couldn't block out the sound of the Second Child's sobs, the noise raking across his soul like a lightning bolt of emotional agony. 

Someone else was watching the scene as well.

On a small monitor screen, in the dark office of NERV's late Commander, Kouzo Fuyutski sat quietly, hands steepled in front of his face. It was a mark of how pre-occupied he was that he failed to realise that his position matched Gendo Ikari's habitual one almost exactly. Fuyutski would have shuddered at the thought. In the massive darkness of Ikari's office, the desk and the man at I seemed insignificant, a pinpoint of light and shadow on a monochromatic blankness, a wasteland of emptiness. As ever, the room's only decoration was the stylised Tree Of Life engraved on the ceiling, glinting mildly in the half-light.

Fuyutski shut off the monitor screen and gazed up at the ceiling, tracing the familiar patterns of the engraving with his eyes, while pondering recent events. He had gone over all records of the attack and subsequent events time after time, and they still yielded no clues to him. Mentally, he collated a few facts that he could remember off by heart:

_Item: During the attack, Commander Ikari was not at his post._

_Item: During the attack, Dr. Akagi was not at her post, though she explained that she had been searching for the First Child. She has not been questioned further as of yet._

_Item: During the attack, Pilot Ayanami was did not report to her designated evacuation zone. This most likely saved her life, as that area of the Geofront was destroyed shortly after the initial engagements with the enemy, and their employment of an N2 device._

_Item: Pilot Ikari was apparently stranded within Central Dogma at that time, in an area overrun by JSSDF troops. _

_Item: Despite this, he managed to make his way to EVA-01, which was activated consequently._

_Item: During the time Ikari Shinji was exfiltrating the Geofront, Pilot Soryu powered up EVA-02 and successfully engaged the enemy's Mass Production Evangelions._

_Item: The enemy EVAs exhibited startling abilities of regeneration, which compensated for their mediocre tactical ability and co-ordination, and were able to inflict severe damage on EVA-02, necessitating its deactivation in order to avoid fatal damage to Pilot Soryu's brain tissue._

_Item: Shortly after the incapacitation of unit 02, EVA-01 made an appearance. Having made its way to the battle-field, the unit began an attack against the enemy Evangelions._

_Item: EVA-01 showed similar powers of regeneration as its foes, and managed to destroy a number of them in quick succession._

_Item: It must be noted that, during EVA-01's activation, all communication with the pilot was lost, and regained only after the battle._

_Item: During the battle, Pilot Ikari's synch ratio was clearly extremely high, judging by the fluidity of the Evangelion's movements. _

_Fact: The higher the synch ratio, the more intense the neural feedback, and the more discomfort the pilot feels during a battle._

_Item: Despite massive trauma sustained by EVA-01's extremities and torso, there was no visible reaction from the pilot in terms of piloting, in other words the pilot did not seem to be noticing the severity of the injuries vicariously inflicted upon him by the enemy._

At this last thought, a frown interrupted Commander Fuyutski's train of thought. He had never thought of the younger Ikari as a particularly stoic person, though he admired his occasional courage.

The Commander's eyes narrowed slightly, as a new possibility occurred to him. A few moments later, he reactivated his console and began a new entry, grimacing almost imperceptibly in the sparse illumination of Gendo Ikari's office.

Meanwhile, not very far away...

_Chink. A few crumbs of paint cascaded to the cold floor of a dark detention cell. Inside, Corporal Juan Vasquez was scratching at the wall of his cell. He wasn't trying to weaken the cell's lock, which would have been pointless, as the door was made of metal and was alarmed to boot. He wasn't attempting to dig his way out either. He was slowly carving, a line into the wall, with his bare fingernails, where it would join several others, providing Vasquez' only sense of time. The lights were always off in the cell, giving no indication of time passing, and meals were delivered sporadically, in order to throw off any idea of the time or date. _

The entire set-up was designed to inspire unease in the occupant of the cell, and make them more receptive to interrogation. 'Two' grinned at this, the expression turning into a grimace as his sore and itchy throat chose another moment to play up. One of the side-effects of the anti-interrogation pill he had taken was that it made eating, drinking, and even breathing into a painful exercise. 

The commando's lean, unshaven features lightened momentarily as he remembered NERV's early attempts at interrogation. Their Section Two MIB's had tried to make him sign a confession, to which he had replied, (in cracked, painfully slow Spanish) "Sorry, I can't read this, I don't know English." The lie was obvious, but the agents were apparently willing to use a softly-softly approach with this prisoner, and a few minutes later, a new document was in front of him, written in his first tongue, to which he had replied (in English) "Thanks, pal."

Section Two had not been amused.

Later attempts were more physical in nature, with the revelation that speech was now possible for the prisoner, just extremely painful. The Agents hadn't cared about that last part, though…

…So now the former commando was back in his cell, trying to block out the unyielding, cold sensation of lying on a bare concrete floor, his time-keeping exercise accomplished. The reason Juan was able to mark time, and thus avoid disorientation, was because, at roughly ten minutes intervals, a patrol passed through the nearby corridors, and every so often, the noise of machinery could be heard faintly through the walls of the chamber. 

In the upper corner of the room, the security camera sat, its unblinking features observing him coldly. 

Several hundred feet above the cell, crouched around a display, were Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, the recently promoted Captain Maya Ibuki, and her fellow bridge crew Makoto Hyuuga and Aoba Shigeru. The feed from the cell had been adjusted to thermal imaging to provide a better view, and the group watched in silence as the prisoner stopped his activity and sat down, leaning against the wall, his posture indicating despair and a realisation of the futility of his situation. Ritsuko Akagi's eyes narrowed.

"Okay, Maya, turn it off." Immediately, the industrial humming noise which had echoed around the cell previously stopped. 

At that moment, several thousand miles away…

Major Shepherd had not taken the news of the attempted assassination well. 

Earlier that day, he had been summoned to a briefing room in the bowels of the facility, with no information as to why he had been summoned to the area. The room had been barely lit, with only the lights of activated but unoccupied consoles providing illumination, and a small amount of background noise as their displays flashed and whirred. 

_Why is it always so dark…? He wondered dispassionately, crossing to the small brightly illuminated area in the centre of the room. As he stopped, the room's monolithic communication screen lit up, and a sharply lit face appeared on it, regarding the Major as if he was an insect perched on the arm of some primeval deity. The image spoke:_

**_"Major, our attempt to destroy NERV's Evangelion pilots had not met with success." Externally, there was almost no change to his features, apart from an almost imperceptible widening of his eyes, but internally, he was reeling. __Attempt to what…!? Quickly, the officer recovered his composure, though to someone unfamiliar with the man, he would not have seemed to have lost it in the first place._**

"Sir, I was not aware of this operation. What was its purpose?"

"Our projections indicate that the inevitable interference to our plans would be increased by the presence of an operable Evangelion, and thus we took steps to minimize this possibility."

"I see…why did the operation fail?"

"Unknown."

"Sir, what about the IEVA project? Will this…failure change the schedule in any way?"

"Affirmative. The project deadline is being advanced." The Major's eyes narrowed.

"Unacceptable. Our personnel are being pushed to their limits as it is."

"You will push them harder, Major. The consequences will be grave indeed if our demands are not met.

"Understood…sir." The image disappeared. Under his breath, the Major muttered an imprecation that even the room's concealed microphones would have been hard-pressed to pick up.

End of Chapter Two

Sorry for the long wait, everyone, I've been trying to imagine where this series is going, and I've been having some difficulty. But not to worry, more chapters will follow!

Once again, thanks to the people who have reviewed this fic, and once again, sorry for any mistakes in the text, please tell me if something is blatantly inaccurate.


	3. Sigh

Ok, as you may have noticed (because of the fact that I haven't updated in a year), I've pretty much given up on Interesting Times.  
  
If anyone wants to continue the fic, feel free to do so, you don't need my permission. 


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